Bizarre Headgear | Gaston Design, Inc.

J. Kuether

Traveling Exhibition: Bizarre Headgear

Ceratopsians and the Evolution of Extraordinary Skulls

The exhibit Bizarre Headgear showcases evolution at its most extreme. Twelve-foot antlers and oversized skulls highlight remarkable examples of unusual headgear. Animals have developed horns, antlers, frills, and crests to communicate, reproduce, and deter threats. The exhibit emphasizes similar strategies and skull forms across diverse species, demonstrating convergent evolution. For instance, the horns of a 65-million-year-old ceratopsian resemble those of a modern bison, illustrating the persistence of these features. Explore how evolution equipped prehistoric animals for combat and courtship.

Unusual head features are often associated with social interaction and mating, such as antlers, horns, and frills. Bizarre Headgear broadens this perspective by exploring skulls adapted for predator-prey dynamics and feeding. For example, the large eye sockets of a loris and the teeth and lure of an angler fish exemplify extreme adaptations. The exhibition also links animal adaptations to human innovation, showing how artificial head features have enabled humans to see in the dark or survive underwater.

The exhibit traces the history of extraordinary head structures, from giant horned dinosaurs to their mammalian successors. By featuring examples from ceratopsians to hammerhead sharks, it highlights the interconnectedness of all living organisms. Bizarre Headgear seeks to engage and inspire visitors of all ages.

THEMES

– Origins and evolution of horned dinosaurs

– Bizarre headgear in other dinosaurs & birds

– The rise of horns and antlers in mammals

– Crests and frills in the animal kingdom

– Anatomy of bizarre head structures

– Bizarre headgear in courtship and combat

– Human adaptation of bizarre headgear

SPECIFICATIONS

– 2,000-10,000 sq. ft.

– 10 foot minimum ceiling height recommended

PRICING & DURATION

Affordable rates beginning at $35k for 2,000 sqf and $175k for 10,000 sqf. transportation included. The standard exhibit lease is 3 months. Longer or shorter periods can be arranged according to the requirements of the exhibition venue. Detailed lease fees available on request.

TO BE PROVIDED BY THE HOSTING VENUE

– Lights, and barriers.

– Single-phase electrical supply.

– Translation of text and production of text panels and graphics if necessary.

– Equipment required for access, installation and dismantling.

– Skilled support staff to assist with installation and dismantling.

– Storage facilities for transport crates.

– Promotion and publicity.

– Staffing during exhibition run.

Early ceratopsians were small, with some species, such as Psittacosaurus, lacking frills. Over time, larger ceratopsians such as Torosaurus evolved, with increasingly large frills. Like Protoceratops, but on a greater scale, later ceratopsians used their headgear to signal suitability as mates and to intimidate rivals and predators.

"The sheer density and diversity of material on display has a qualitative impact, which gave me the feeling of walking through a cabinet of curiosities the size of a basketball court. I think it’s the most impressive temporary exhibit I’ve ever seen, and by far my favorite."

Mathew J. Wedel

Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific

Beyond ceratopsians, dinosaurs displayed remarkable diversity in headgear. While ceratopsians had the largest head structures, other groups used head features in various ways. For example, hadrosaurs may have used crests for mating displays and to produce low-frequency calls, while theropods may have used crests to regulate body temperature. The functions of dinosaur headgear were likely as varied as their forms.

The frills, crests, and horns of dinosaurs were successful adaptations for millions of years, and mammalian headgear has become equally remarkable. Although antlers and tusks differ in form from ceratopsian skulls, they likely served similar functions. Large-horned and antlered mammals appear to have occupied the same evolutionary roles as ceratopsians.

Bizarre headgear typically refers to skull features associated with social or mating behaviors. However, other environmental factors can lead to unusual head shapes.

Some scientists propose that evolution often occurs “headfirst.” Studies of fossil fish after extinction events show that unusual head features, such as long jaws and large teeth, appeared before major changes in body shape. This suggests that feeding pressures are a key driver of diversification.

In addition to feeding, skull features related to predator-prey interactions are shaped by evolution. Sensory adaptations, including sight, hearing, and echolocation, further demonstrate the complexity of skull diversification.

“The quality and scientific accuracy of the specimens (e.g., replica skeletons, models, etc.) in this exhibition is absolutely second-to-none. Gaston Design’s productions are so authentic-looking, most people won’t realize they’re looking at replicas rather than original fossils. Moreover, many of the creatures in the exhibition—including several of the dinosaurs—are very recently discovered and as such have rarely, if ever, been shown to the public before.”

Matthew C. Lamanna

lead paleontologist Carnegie Museum of Natural History
on the GDI exhibit Animal Armor

CERATOPSIANS

– Adult Protoceratops skeleton cast

– Juvenile Protoceratops skeleton cast

– Torosaurus skeleton cast

– Utahceratops skeleton cast

– Juvenile Utahceratops skeleton cast

– Psittacosaurus skeleton cast

– Zuniceratops skeleton cast

– Diabloceratops skull or skeleton cast

– Pentaceratops skull cast

– Nasutoceratops skull cast

– Eotriceratops skull cast

– Coahuilaceratops skull cast

– Kosmoceratops skull or skeleton cast

– Archeoceratops skull cast

– Lioceratops skull cast

– Auroraceratops skull cast

– Ceratopsian/ Rhino Beetle display

LIFE SCULPTURES

– Torosaurus 1: 15 scale

– Pachyrhinosaurus 1:15 scale

– Styracosaurus 1:10 scale

– Einosaurus 1:10 scale

– Psittacosaurus 1:1 scale

– Utahceratops skull anotomical model

OTHER DINOSAURS

– Corythosaurus (Duckbill) skull cast

– Velafrons (Duckbill) skull cast

– Parasaurolophus (Duckbill) skull cast

– Pachycephalosaurus skull & Dome

– Saurolophus (Duckbill) skull cast

– Ceratosaurus skull cast

– Dilophosaurus skull cast

– Prenocephale skull cast

– Minotaurasaurus skull cast

– Oviraptor skull & neck cast

– Anzu (oviraptor) skull cast

LIFE SCULPTURES

– Minotaurasaurus head

– Ceratosaurus head

– Oviraptor head & neck

EARLY BIZARRE HEADGEAR

– Estemmenosuchus skull cast

– 2 Dicynodont skull casts

LIFE SCULPTURES

– Estemmenosuchus head

BIRDS

– 7 Modern Hornbill skull casts

– 1 Modern Cassowarie skull cast

PTEROSAURS

– Nyctosaurus skull cast

– Tupuxuara skull cast

– Pteranodon skull cast

– Tjapahara skull cast

– Tropeognathus skull cast

MAMMALS TUSKS & TEETH

– Cuverionus skull cast

– Mammoth skull or skeleton cast

– Modern Hippopotamus skull cast

– Ice age walrus skull cast

– Platybelodon skull cast

– Chilotherium skull cast

– Modern Warthog skull cast

– Modern Vampire deer skull

– Modern Muntjac skull

– Modern Roe deer skull

– Smilodon Populator skull cast

– Modern Elephant skull cast

– Modern Narwhal skull cast

– Mastodon Skull cast

MAMMALS: ANTLERS

– Irish Elk Skull cast

– Cervalces Skeleton cast

– Sinomegoceros skull cast

– Synthetoceras skull cast

MAMMALS: HORNS

– Bison Latifrons skull cast

– Bison Priscus skull cast

– Modern Bison skull

– 14 modern African bovid skulls

OTHER HORNS & OSSICONES

– Modern Rhinoceros skull cast

– Pleistocene whooly rhino skull cast

– Modern Giraffe skull & neck

– Sivatherium skull cast

– Brontotherium skull cast

OTHER MAMMALS

– Archeotherium skull cast

– Megachoerus skull cast

LIFE SCULPTURES

– Brontotherium head

– Archeotherium head

FEATURED ARTISTS

– Karen Carr

– Shane Foulkes

– James Kuether

– Dan Larusso

– Victor Lyshek

– Gary Staab

– Elisa Uribe

– Greg Wenzel

– Dennis Wilson

ABOUT GDI

In 1989, Robert Gaston discovered the dinosaur Gastonia. The dinosaur’s genus was named in his honor. This discovery led to the creation of Gaston Design Incorporated (GDI) in 1996 and was the inspiration for the exhibit Animal Armor. Over the last 25 years, GDI has reconstructed many newly discovered dinosaur skeletons for leading paleontological institutions.

SERVICES

Gaston Design Inc (GDI) specializes in the restoration, molding, and casting of fossil skeletons, as well as gift shop lines of smaller paleontological replicas (teeth, claws, skulls, etc.). In addition to cast replicas, Gaston Design offers museum services such as skeleton mounting, exhibit design and construction, and traveling exhibits.

MUSEUMS

Gaston Design Inc’s skeletons and casts are on display, or in the collections and gift shops of many museums world-wide. Some of these include the following;

Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Utah Museum of Natural History

The Smithsonian Institution

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Science, Tokyo, Japan

The Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario, Canada

Museo Del Desierto, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

American Museum of Natural History

Contact Us

Email – gastondesigninc@gmail.com

Phone – 970.986.7051

Located in- Fruita, Colorado U.S.A